New VA Outpatient Clinic set to open in 2014

By THOMAS BRENNAN Daily News Staff

Published: Sunday, March 17, 2013 at 03:44 PM.

A multimillion dollar Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic will open early next year providing services to more than 7,500 local veterans within Onslow County and bringing additional services and jobs to the area.

“We will be closing the current VA center and moving to a new one about twice the size,” said Elizabeth Goolsby, the director of the Fayetteville VA Medical Center. “It will enable us to expand and help an additional two to three thousand veterans.”

The VA has awarded a $3.75 million contract to Construction Managers, Inc. for the construction of a VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic on Henderson Drive. The facility will have nearly 10,000 square feet of clinic space and 60 parking spaces. It will replace the older facility located off of Piney Green Road and will offer laboratory services, women’s health care and tele-health technology, which will allow patients to speak with specialists over a secure video conferencing network.

“We have just outgrown our current site,” Goolsby said. “And the best part is that the new area offers room for expansion in the future. It brings care closer to the veteran. It allows the veteran to not travel as much and will increase satisfaction rates. Adding 15 new providers will help cut down on veteran wait time for appointments.”

According to Goolsby, the new facility will also provide primary care such as immunizations, hypertension treatment, diabetes support and treatment of chronic and acute illnesses. Mental health care will include individual care, group therapy and PTSD support.

Local veterans such as Howard Jones, 80, of Jacksonville say this is just one more step in the right direction for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

“I think the VA is doing a very good job in our community,” Jones said. “They do as much as they possibly can with the resources they have. I’m very happy they are putting this here for the veterans who need it.”

A multimillion dollar Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic will open early next year providing services to more than 7,500 local veterans within Onslow County and bringing additional services and jobs to the area.

“We will be closing the current VA center and moving to a new one about twice the size,” said Elizabeth Goolsby, the director of the Fayetteville VA Medical Center. “It will enable us to expand and help an additional two to three thousand veterans.”

The VA has awarded a $3.75 million contract to Construction Managers, Inc. for the construction of a VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic on Henderson Drive. The facility will have nearly 10,000 square feet of clinic space and 60 parking spaces. It will replace the older facility located off of Piney Green Road and will offer laboratory services, women’s health care and tele-health technology, which will allow patients to speak with specialists over a secure video conferencing network.

“We have just outgrown our current site,” Goolsby said. “And the best part is that the new area offers room for expansion in the future. It brings care closer to the veteran. It allows the veteran to not travel as much and will increase satisfaction rates. Adding 15 new providers will help cut down on veteran wait time for appointments.”

According to Goolsby, the new facility will also provide primary care such as immunizations, hypertension treatment, diabetes support and treatment of chronic and acute illnesses. Mental health care will include individual care, group therapy and PTSD support.

Local veterans such as Howard Jones, 80, of Jacksonville say this is just one more step in the right direction for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

“I think the VA is doing a very good job in our community,” Jones said. “They do as much as they possibly can with the resources they have. I’m very happy they are putting this here for the veterans who need it.”

Gwen Searcy, 39, of Jacksonville said the VA opening a larger center is just one more way the VA is paying attention to the requests and needs of veterans.

“The VA is continually opening up services for their members,” Searcy said. “Every veteran I know of greatly appreciates their services and is always looking out for more. Getting a new clinic here shows the VA is listening and caring for our veterans.”

Searcy said offering more resources to veterans is important in the community.

“It gives us more opportunities for care and any progress we make in the VA system is a great thing,” Searcy said. “It offers more help, more resources.”

Contact Daily News Military Reporter Thomas Brennan at 910-219-8453 or thomas.brennan@jdnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @thomasjbrennan.